Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Motshekga, hon MECs, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, on behalf of the Western Cape education department, I would like to congratulate the Minister on her appointment and wish her everything of the best. I know that she will be successful.
Education is the bedrock of my government's vision of an open-opportunity society for all. Education lies at the heart of this vision, because it provides our youth with the necessary skills to reach their full potential and fulfil their aspirations. However, our initial analysis indicates that the Western Cape's education system, while undoubtedly the best in the country, is not yet characterised by the kind of excellence that this government aspires to and that the future of this country demands of us to become a truly prosperous nation.
In order to provide quality education, we have to channel funds back to the classroom and the teacher. More resources simply need to get down to that level and all our decisions will be guided by what is in the best interests of the learner. This entails going back to basics: ensuring that our teachers are adequately trained and present, punctual and prepared, that textbooks are available, and that there is adequate testing of learner performance.
This budget was inherited from the previous ANC administration. Therefore, we will ensure that selected funds within this budget are channelled into new projects and initiatives to bring them into line with our policies and vision for the department of education.
The budget allocated to the Western Cape education department, WCED, is the single biggest allocation in the province. The WCED has been allocated over R10 billion for 2009-10, representing 35,7% of the total provincial budget. Public ordinary school education continues to be the main focus of the department's funding - it is allocated 81,1% of the budget, with 54,9% of this allocated to primary schools and 38,4% to secondary schools.
Included in the 2009-10 budget are the following conditional grants and earmarked allocations. The National Schools Nutrition Programme has been allocated R112,5 million to feed 335 000 learners daily. Consolidated infrastructure and maintenance, including the provincial infrastructure grant, will receive R378,7 million. Routine maintenance has been allocated R73,7 million. The HIV and Aids programme will be allocated R14,6 million. The budget for early childhood development has increased by 37,5% from the previous year to total R313,4 million for 2009-10. An amount of R92 million has been provided for teacher development.
Allocations for national priorities are as follows. In order to improve resources and conditions for learning, the Quality Improvement, Development, Support and Upliftment Programme has been allocated R129,2 million. The allocation for textbooks for Grades 10 to 12 to support the National Curriculum Statement is R14,8 million.
In terms of literacy and numeracy, we will embark on programmes to improve teacher training, establish a literacy and numeracy resource hub in each district in the province, and introduce new multimedia programmes for use by teachers. I am pleased to note that the budget for school safety goes up from R14,9 million to R20,6 million. We will focus on initiatives and partnerships among schools, parents, neighbourhood watches, the police and the community. The budget allocation for adult education and skills training is R30,9 million.
Our administration has also proposed a number of initiatives that will reinforce our priorities in this department. Firstly, we will be reviewing and updating the Western Cape Provincial School Education Act of 1997. The Act has not been subject to any revision in the past 12 years while the South African Schools Act has been revised eight times during the same period.
Therefore, the Act must be the subject of a clinical review to bring it in line with potential future changes in the education landscape. Part of this legislative process is the need to review the provisions relating to the establishment of the education council. The provincial government is currently in violation of a statutory requirement that provides for the existence of such a council. If properly constituted, such a council can play a key advisory role in finding solutions to the myriad challenges facing education in the Western Cape.
Improving and enhancing school management is also a major priority for us. We will therefore develop and strengthen performance management systems to ensure that our schools are held accountable for their performance. This administration is committed to telling the truth about what is working in this department and what is not. We will take responsibility for our performance and be accountable to our stakeholders. We will always be conscious that our number one priority is and always will be doing what is in the best interests of the learner. I thank you. [Applause.]